Full Title: Climate Solutions Series: Decarbonizing the Built Environment
Author(s): Stephen Naimoli
Publisher(s): Center for Strategic & International Studies
Publication Date: November 30, 2020
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
The buildings sector emits 39 percent of global CO2 emissions, 28 percent of which come from the operation of buildings and 11 percent of which come from building materials and construction. While the building materials and construction process are important, this brief will focus on the operational emissions of buildings. Unlike many of the other sectors that have been covered in this brief series, some of the emissions from the buildings sector could be attributed to other sectors, so the sector’s percent of total CO2 emissions is not directly comparable to those of the other sectors. The emissions from purchased electricity, for example, are included in the operational emissions of buildings, and the construction and building materials that go into them are made in the industrial sector. However, as will be discussed in this brief, these are not the only emissions that come from buildings, and there are solutions that are unique to the buildings sector that can address their emissions independent of action in other sectors.